Zambia's electoral commission on Tuesday declared President Hakainde Hichilema the winner of a second term, capping a vote count marred by a nighttime raid on opposition figures, gunfire, and a lengthy suspension of tallying over reports of ballot theft and attacks on polling staff.
Commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis announced that Hichilema had won just over 60 percent of the vote to about 38 percent for challenger Brian Mundubile, a former provincial minister making his first presidential bid, according to results reported by Al Jazeera and Euronews.
I therefore declare Hichilema Hakainde S to be president-elect of the Republic of Zambia this 18th day of August, 2026.
Mwangala Zaloumis, chairperson, Electoral Commission of Zambia
A count clouded by violence
The count itself became a flashpoint. Authorities arrested roughly a dozen people, including senior opposition figures, during a raid that opposition officials said took place near Mundubile's home and involved an exchange of gunfire that left a member of parliament wounded. The government said those detained were linked to militia activity around the election; Mundubile's party, the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, denied the allegation. The electoral commission separately suspended tallying for hours after reports of attacks on polling staff and theft of marked ballots, and Mundubile has alleged that result forms were altered, calling for an independent investigation.
European Union observers said the vote took place in "an environment that limited fundamental freedoms," pointing to unequal campaign conditions between the incumbent and the opposition. Zaloumis said the outstanding results from a handful of constituencies were not likely to change the overall outcome.
A referendum on economic recovery
Hichilema, who took office in 2021, campaigned largely on Zambia's economic turnaround after a sovereign debt default and years of fiscal distress, and Tuesday's result amounted to a public verdict on that record. In brief remarks after the declaration, Hichilema pledged to govern for all Zambians, including those who backed the opposition. He is set to begin a second five-year term with the disputed count and the opposition's fraud allegations still unresolved, leaving questions about the vote's legitimacy likely to follow him into the new term.
